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Thursday, May 25, 2006

TCM Gets Edgy

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is moving forward with several programming initiatives geared to attract a broader viewer base, including a new cult film showcase hosted by auteur filmmaker and legendary rocker Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects --seen right); two pilots, one featuring Wilmer Valderrama (That ‘70s Show, Fast Food Nation, seen left), that could lead to TCM’s first-ever original series; and an exploration of the creative spirit and maverick determination of independent filmmakers in TCM’s first in-house documentary production.

“These programming initiatives allow us to cultivate a new generation of classic movie fans, helping us take viewers from novice to true fan through innovative approaches,” said Tom Karsch, executive vice president and general manager for TCM. “Whether it is

Zombie has made a name for himself challenging audiences by stretching the boundaries of film, music and publishing. He recently took film to a new level with his critically acclaimed House of 1000 Corpses and its high-octane follow-up The Devil’s Rejects, and he is now working on his next film project, the animated horror film The Haunted World of Superbeasto, starring Academy Awardâ nominee Paul Giamatti, slated for release later this year.

As the longest active artist on Geffen Records and the most prolific Geffen artist when it comes to Gold and Platinum discs, Zombie has sold in excess of fifteen million records worldwide. This past March, his new album Educated Horses entered the billboard charts at #5. Zombie is also a seasoned video director, with more than 25 videos to his credit. In 1995, he won an MTV Music Video Award for “More Human Than Human,” becoming the first self-directed artist to win such an award.

TAKE TWO (working title) – Original series pilot

This unique concept will give a young star the opportunity to act out (or completely re-imagine) an iconic scene from a classic Hollywood movie. The pilot for the series will feature Wilmer Valderrama re-creating a scene from The Lost Weekend. TAKE TWO comes to TCM from World of Wonders, with Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato (Movies that Shook the World) serving as executive producers.

IDOLS (working title) – Original series in development

In IDOLS, a younger star working in film today has an opportunity to shadow and interview his/her classic film idol. It comes to TCM from executive producer Robert Trachtenberg (Cary Grant: A Class Apart, The Dick Cavett Show with Special Guest Mel Brooks).

EDGE OF OUTSIDE– Original TCM Documentary premiering in July

In its first-ever completely in-house documentary production, TCM explores the uncompromising vision, creative spirit and maverick determination of independent filmmakers, both classic and current. A tribute to the fight for artistic freedom in American independent cinema, EDGE OF OUTSIDE features interviews with Ed Burns, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Henry Jaglom, Arthur Penn, Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands and John Sayles, as well as friends and crew members who worked with such cutting-edge filmmakers as Sam Fuller, John Cassavetes and Sam Peckinpah. In a year that saw independent movies take center stage at the Oscarsâ, this documentary offers an intimate look at the various issues and struggles independent filmmakers face – creative and personal, financial and emotional. It dispels the notion that an independent film is simply a low-budget film, instead defining the genre by the maverick filmmaker’s ability to infuse his or her films with creative spirit and determination.